Describes a writing assignment for which high school students were to use the Internet to gather information as the basis for composing a piece of satire. Outlines some of the logistics of allowing students to research on the computer as opposed to the library--the problems and benefits--and describes student papers and experiences. (TB)

This essay focuses on the ability of the political cartoon to enhance history instruction. A trend in recent years is for social studies teachers to use these graphics to enhance instruction. Cartoons have the ability to: (1) empower teachers to demonstrate excellence during lessons; (2) prepare students for standardized tests containing cartoon…

THE FIRST UNIT OF THE STUDENT PACKET FOR GRADE NINE OF THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM IS A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS WHICH EXIST BETWEEN AUTHOR AND AUDIENCE, AND AN EXAMINATION OF THE EPIGRAM, LIMERICK, PARABLE, FABLE, AND ODE. WITH THIS BACKGROUND, STUDENTS CONSIDER "ON AVARICE" AND "ANIMAL FARM" AS EXAMPLES OF FORMAL AND…

THE TEACHER PACKET FOR THE 12TH-GRADE ENGLISH PROGRAM OF THE NEBRASKA CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT CENTER COMPRISES, THROUGH THE STUDY OF SELECTED WORKS, A SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERARY PERIODS FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE 20TH CENTURY. UNITS ARE PROVIDED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS--(1) "SENECAN REVENGE TRAGEDY--'THYESTES,''THE SPANISH TRAGEDY,' AND…

BASEBALL FICTION HAS MOVED FROM THE JUVENILE STORIES OF THE TURN OF THE CENTURY TO ADULT FICTION IN WHICH THE GAME IS EXAMINED FOR THE LIGHT IT SHEDS ON THE PARADOXES OF AMERICAN LIFE. EARLY BASEBALL FICTION WAS DIRECTED TOWARD THE DIME-NOVEL AUDIENCE, BUT AFTER WORLD WAR I, SUCH WRITERS AS HEYWOOD BROUN AND RING LARDNER AIMED FOR ADULT READERS…

THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM FOR GRADE NINE FOCUSES ON THE CONCEPT OF GENRE AND ACCOMPANYING LITERARY ATTITUDES AND DEVICES. SATIRE, COMEDY, AND THE EPIC ARE THE SUBJECTS OF THE LITERARY PROGRAM. LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION STUDIES, BUILDING UPON EIGHTH-GRADE LANGUAGE HISTORY AND SYNTAX UNITS, CENTER ON GEOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL DIALECTS, PHONOLOGY,…

THE LITERATURE PROGRAM OF THE GRADE 12 STUDENT PACKET OF THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM CONSISTS OF A SELECTIVE SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE 20TH CENTURY. IT BEGINS WITH A UNIT ON SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY IN WHICH STUDENTS READ REVENGE TRAGEDIES--SENECA'S "THYESTES" AND KYD'S "THE SPANISH TRAGEDY"--AS…

"MOBY DICK" IS SINGULARLY APPROPRIATE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ITS PHILOSOPHICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL EMPHASIS. HOWEVER, TO GUIDE THE STUDENTS INTO THE THEMATIC INTRICACIES OF THE WORK, THE TEACHER MUST USE A CAREFULLY PLANNED, INDUCTIVE APPROACH THAT DEMANDS CLOSE TEXTUAL STUDY IN CLASS. ALTHOUGH EACH TEACHER SHOULD CONCENTRATE…

Utilizes a 1775 political cartoon as the centerpiece of a lesson on political controversy and violence in Colonial America. The cartoon, printed in Britain, lampooned the coercive measures directed at Tory merchants. Learning activities include an extensive analysis of the cartoon, discussions, and timelines. (MJP)

Comics--as a special literary genre--must be judged by special criteria. In fact, the four-panel daily comic strip must be judged by different standards from the full-length comic book or the single- or double-frame comic. Among the four-panel strips are found comics that make a claim to literary quality--"Li'l Abner,""Pogo," and "Peanuts." These…

A good, sequential literature program for secondary school students should deal simultaneously with literary forms, with the chronological development of literature, and with broad themes of human experience. By employing the abundance of teaching aids, texts, and improved foreign translations available today, an imaginatively planned program can…

On November 2, all Mexican Americans remember their dead as Mexico does on that same day. Called "El Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead), the dead are remembered posthumously with flowers, candles, music, prayers, chants, and wreaths. The people go to cemeteries to clean tombs, lay fresh or artificial flowers on them, and pray for…

DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE NARRATIVE AND DRAMATIC MODES CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD BY EMPHASIZING WHAT IT MEANS TO THINK AND CREATE DRAMATICALLY. ALTHOUGH BOOKS (WHICH ARE READ) AND PLAYS (WHICH ARE SEEN) TREAT PLOT, CHARACTER, AND SETTING SIMILARLY, CONVENTIONS THAT PARTICULARLY DISTINGUISH THEATRICAL FORM ARE--(1) THE AUTHENTICATING REALITY OF THE…

TRAGIC AND COMIC FORMS OF DRAMA ARE EXPLORED IN THIS TWO-PART 11TH-GRADE LITERATURE UNIT. A SECTION ON TRAGEDY, TREATING THREE PLAYS, EMPHASIZES STRUCTURAL DIVISIONS, CONVENTIONS, AND SUBJECT MATTER PECULIAR TO THIS TYPE OF DRAMA. FOLLOWING A DISCUSSION OF THE CLASSICAL GREEK THEATRE AND THE ARISTOTELIAN VIEW OF TRAGEDY, THE FORM AND THEME OF…

THE 11TH-GRADE COURSE OF STUDY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE PRESENTED IN THE STUDENT PACKET FOR THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM BEGINS WITH A UNIT ENTITLED "INDIVIDUALISM AND IDEALISM" IN WHICH STUDENTS ANALYZE SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES BY EMERSON, THOREAU, WHITMAN, AND DICKINSON. NEXT, THE THEME OF SIN AND LONELINESS AS IT LIMITS…